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Bob Marley Attacked :Says" I’m not running away".Bob Marley Attacked:Bob Marley Almost Fatal Attack Bob Marley had managed to purchase a house that was formerly considered out of the ownership league of Blacks that would probably only occupy the servants quarters. In 1975 he was able to pay over the twenty thousand dollar price tag on the property. For the house to be owned by a Rastafarian at the time was of not only historical but social significance. Rastafarianism, although very fashionable and popular today, was not so accepted in Marley’s time in Jamaica in particular. Being a Rastafarian came with negative labels, images of uneducated, ignorant, Black Heart oriented people. Marley’s locks proved to be appealing to an international audience who saw Rastafarianism as unique and mystical.
In 1976, two days preceding a scheduled free concert entitled “Smile Jamaica” that Marley and the then Jamaican PM Michael Manley had organized in the run up to the general election.Bob Marley,wife Rita and manager Don Taylor, were shot at their 56 Hope Road home, located just across the road from the what is now the Bob Marley Museum. Marley received minor injuries in the arm and chest. Don Taylor received most of the bullets in his legs and torso as he accidentally walked in the line of fire. He was registered in serious condition initially but was treated and sent home, and ended up having a full recovery from the wounds. Rita also recovered of the head wound she received that night. It is generally believed that this shooting was politically motivated. Jamaican politics being in a very volatile state at the time, especially when close to elections time as it was then. The concert was seen as a conscious move by the reggae artist in support of the then prime minister of Jamaica, Michael Manley.It is widely held that the attack was executed by fervent supporters of the opposition and highly conservative political party of Jamaica, the Jamaica Labour Party. However, there is little evidence to support this. Although there have been many rumors as to “who done it” the police never caught the gunmen. It is suggested that Bob speaks to detractors who accused him of running away from reality by leaving Jamaica.Bob Marley speaks about the attack and states in a very poetic and biblically based (some of the lines can be found in Proverbs 25:24) philosophical way the reason for his flight from Jamaica in the song Running Away …
I’ve got to protect my life And I don’t want to live with no strife It is better to live on the housetop Than to live in a house full of confusion So I made my decision and I left you And now you’re coming to tell me I’m running away But it’s not true. I’m not running away. -Excerpt from “Songs of Freedom”.
Bob Marley's Early Musical Career
Return from Bob Marley Attacked to Rasta Man Vibration
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